A father running his seventh marathon in memory of his mother crossed the finish line with his son at his side.

Alan Segall, 50, and son Gabriel, 18, of Borehamwood, ran the Brighton Marathon together on Sunday to raise money for Parkinson’s UK.

The pair ran in honour of Norma, Mr Segall’s mother and Gabriel’s grandmother, who died last year after living with Parkinson’s for 24 years.

Mr Segall said: “It was all about the charity and my mum. I think we did her proud. Before the race there was a moment when it felt like my mum was there and Gabriel felt the same. It was really touching.”

The duo ran the marathon in 5 hours and 22 seconds. Mr Segall said: “It’s nothing amazing, but we did what we set out to do which was run the whole way and finish together. It was a warm day and we were knackered by the end. 26.2 miles is just not a natural distance. We were walking like geriatrics on Monday.”

Around 10,000 runners descended on Brighton for the UK’s second largest marathon, which runs along the seafront.

Mr Segall said: “It was lovely, like running on holiday. The sun was out, there was a brilliant blue sky and a sea breeze.

“It was a great experience and what stuck out most for me was the camaraderie. You saw people who were struggling start running again after the crowd cheer them on.”

Although this was Mr Segall’s seventh marathon, it was his son Gabriel’s first attempt.

Gabriel said: “It was a really good first marathon with family, friends and crowds cheering us on, and I will hopefully do the London Marathon next year.”

But Mr Segall said this was his last marathon: “The joke among marathon runners is never say never. I’ll keep up the running and would love to do more events for charity, maybe a trek. But marathons are a step too far – I’ll leave that to my son.”

Gabriel said: “It’s like Dad’s passing on the baton to me. I was inspired by him running marathons and hope to inspire others in turn.”

The team have set a target of £1,000, and are halfway there on £530. Contribute at www.justgiving.com/gabealbrm2015